Rising Balance
by Miss Corrine
Summary: Light and Dark have risen and fallen over and over again. The universe was at an impasse. Balance has been waiting patiently for its time to rise up again. [No spoilers/leaks for Episode 9.]


**Author's Note: **I had to publish something before the newest movie, even if i'm cutting it a bit close. This contains no spoilers/leaks from Episode 9. (I haven't even seen it as of publishing.)

This story is a bit of an experiment. I wanted to try something different and this is what happened. I feel like it hops around a lot and I tried to fit a lot of ideas in (more on that at the end), so it may be a bit weird. I just really wanted to explore the Force, the Light, the Dark, Ashla, Bogan, and a possible balance. This is what happened.

* * *

_**Rising Balance**_

* * *

Ashla and Bogan. Light and Dark. Push and Pull. In and Out. Day and Night. Sun and Moon. Fire and Water.

Ashla and Bogan had danced together since the beginning of their own lives. The perfect partners. Stuck in an everlasting dance. An equal balance.

Ashla. The warm flame in the night. The raging fire. Warm and nurturing. Hot and harsh. Healing and destruction.

Bogun. The calm water. The raging sea. Cool and patient. Cold and unforgiving. Caressing and relentless.

Ashla. Lyre against an open wound.

Bogan. Cool water against hot skin.

Ashla. They could be the nurturer but just as capable as being the destroyer.

Bogan. They could be patient as water, slowly wearing away, but just as violent, pulling you keep under, never letting you go.

The two were the extremes, opposites at the end of a spectrum, but complemented each other in every way. The two meant to keep a perpetual balance. From the Light came the Dark and from the Dark came the Light. Neither before or after. Where one was the other was. Intertwined tightly were Ashla and Bogan, never seperate.

The reign of the Light and the reign of the Dark. The rise of one led to the fall of the other and the fall of one lead to the rise of the other. The two destroyed and created one another. A perpetual cycle.

* * *

Ashla and Bogan were not alone. No. Another existed with them.

* * *

Bendu. The One in the Middle.

Bendu existed as the center between Ashla and Bogan. The balance. The neutral, not favored to one side or another. The crux on which the balance tipped back and forth.

Bendu watched the galaxy and its workings. Bendu did not… interfere. Bendu did not influence the galaxy as Ashla and Bogan did. Bendu merely watched.

Bendu was the observer. The silent witness.

Bendu watched as Light and Dark, Ashla and Bogan, rose and fell. A balance created as power, the lead, shifted between the two. The two evened each other out. Only evident when one looked back upon the history of the galaxy. A true balance had not existed at the same time in over a millennium, when Ashla and Bogan were equal and in harmony at the same time. The original balance.

* * *

Once, a long time ago, Ashla and Bogan were complete equals. The two reigned together, not separate, and there was no need for one to create the other from their own fall. The two worked together, complemented each other. The two represented the Force equally. The servants of the Force.

Once, those blessed with a strong connection to the Force, the Force sensitives, followed both Ashla and Bogan. A balance maintained. They followed Ashla and Bogan, but most importantly they followed the Force.

* * *

Everything changed. The old ways fell.

The balance split, creating Je'daii and the Sith. The Je'daii followed Ashla and the Sith followed Bogan. As the years went by the old ways were forgotten and everything was forgotten, even the way of the Force itself.

A longing for the old days could be felt within the galaxy. When Ashla and Bogan reigned together, when there was no need to find a balance among chaos. When everything was equal and complementary to another.

A few grew tired of the warring between the followers of Ashla and Bogan. They longed for something they weren't quite aware of: the original balance. In turn, they came to Bendu, or Bendu came to them.

Bendu was neutral, but that did not mean they would ignore those seeking balance. If a mortal came to them, seeking balance, they would help. If they found a mortal in need of a balance, they would help. Bendu would never, however, interfere with Ashla and Bogan or the Force at large. That did not mean they would allow an option other than Ashla or Bogan go unexplored. Should someone come seeking, they would answer.

* * *

Bendu watched. The son-of-Solo called son-of-Ren. The girl-called-Rey. The two both sought a balance, even if they did not realize it. The son-of-Solo-Ren could feel the Light and Dark, Ashla and Bogan, at war within him. The girl-called-Rey was on a winding path, coming to a crossroads soon.

The balance of the old days was gone, fallen to time. Ashla and Bogan had risen and fallen. The universe was at an impasse. Light and Dark rising up against each other to meet.

Balance had waited patiently for its time to rise up again. The galaxy, the Force, had been in balance, but not in the balance intended. This balance had been costly and bloodied. The new balance would be harmony in the Force - signing through the very fabric of the galaxy.

* * *

Bendu was neutral. Bendu did not interfere. Bendu watched. Bendu would not interfere with the order of the galaxy, of the Force. They were the middle, the balance. But that did not mean Bendu would refuse to help those seeking a balance.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So, what did you think? Constructive criticism is welcome. I could use feedback. I have no beta and I'm not the best at grammar or the like so I could always use the help.

Now, on to some of the thinking behind this and other little thoughts. Warning, it's going to be rambling spitballs trying to explain my thought process.

\- I am reminded of yin/yang when it comes to the Light and Dark of the Force so I take inspiration from that for this. This is how I got some ideas like how Light and Dark (Ashla and Bogan) can create and destroy each other and why I emphasize balance.

\- Light is masculine and heat and Dark feminine and cool in yin/yang according to some of my research with multiple other adjectives associated with yin or yang. This is how I got the descriptions for Ashla and Bogan. Some things had to be changed as Star Wars seems to associate Light with feminine (Daughter, Ashla) and Dark with masculine (Son, Bogan), but I tried to associate some concepts with the two sides while throwing in my own descriptors.

\- A third person or aspect of the Force has been introduced with the Father and the Bendu. So, balance within the Force is a thing. It is something that can be attained. Well, a true balance in the sense of following both Light and Dark or walking a middle ground.

\- I am not an expert on Star Wars: Rebels, but used Bendu as inspiration for this. Yes, characterization is not exactly the same, but it is more loose inspiration. Think of Bendu from Rebels being only a small part of Bendu as a whole.

\- I do not think Ashla, Bogan, Bendu, the Daughter, the Son, or the Father or any other Force deities are actually "The Force". I think of them as lesser spirits or servants to the Force. They represent only aspects, not the whole.

\- Those who follow Bendu are inspired by Grey Jedi and are meant to be a version of them.

\- I really hope a balance of sorts is achieved in the new movie. I would be thrilled if Bendu showed up to help create it.

This is all. If you have questions on this or something in this you can ask me. I'll try to answer, but I can't guarantee a good answer. I wrote this based off more of feeling than logic.

I hope someone enjoys this. No spoilers in the reviews or in any PM to me about the new movie please. I haven't seen it yet and don't want it spoiled, nor do I want anyone reading the reviews to have it spoiled for them. Have a good day/night.

-Miss Corrine.


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